Welcome to the July edition of The Bright Raclette, a monthly community newsletter where we will be sharing upcoming local events, announcements, initiatives and haikus to brighten your day and help you plan your month.
If you keep finding out about fun stuff after it’s already happened… well, that’s exactly why we’re here.
If you, too, believe that the Disney masterpieces Frozen parts 1 & 2 deserve more airtime and recognition in regional publications, by golly are you going to be stoked with this edition.
👇 Enter your email for monthly issues
Calling for contributions
TBR is open to submissions. We’ll consider pretty much anything at this point, but to give you a steer please share: snowman building techniques, tips on spotting an evil villain, sandwich recipes and reviews of anything you have experienced recently.
We can’t promise we’ll include a video clip of you belting out ‘Let it Go’, but we promise we’ll consider it.
**If that button isn’t working, email us at bright.raclette@gmail.com
THIS MONTH
The snows have arrived and everything is looking pretty cold — or should we say, Frozen? As we rug up for wintery activities, we’re sparing a thought for the movie that showed us how deep the bonds of sisterly love can run, and made us wonder whether we would ever find a friendship as pure as the one Kristoff shares with his reindeer Sven. And while the second movie may be heavily derivative of 1997 classic ‘The Fifth Element’, did Leeloo ever tackle the heart-melting philosophical paradox of a snowman whose greatest wish was to see the summer? We think not.
In what can only be described as an immense oversight, missing from both Leeloo and Olaf’s story arcs is the warmth and camaraderie of a Raclette Night.
Happily, the same need not be true for you! The beginning of July will see not one but TWO raclette nights happening in Bright — in fact, the 2nd of July will be a full blown raclette block party! If you missed out on tickets to TBR’s Raclette Night, never fear. North East Wine will be hosting a raclette night just around the corner. Together, we can fill the Alpine Shire with melted cheese and smiling faces.
Anyway, it’s July, it’s snowing, stay safe out there kids.
👉 Jump to stuff from us: SEE | DO | WATCH | READ | FYI
👉 Jump to stuff from you: Marjorie Beavis-Warren reviews a naked man wearing flippers | Winter Reading List | July Love Letter
SEE
— one-offs —
Jul 5 | Settle in for some quality craic with the charming Jimeoin. Wangaratta Performing Arts Centre, 7.30pm.
Jul 5-20 | Head down to the Winter Exhibition at the Bright Art Gallery. Pop upstairs to see THE WEIGHT Contemporary Exhibition curated by Daniel A’Vard. 10am - 4pm.
Jul 9 | Take your kids to howl with delight at the gross-tactic gags of the Prince of Putrid, The Willy Wonka of Weird, Mr Snotbottom Albury Entertainment Centre, 11am and 1pm.
Jul 12 | Watch ripping anecdotes from Andrew Hamilton as he tells jokes about the time he went to prison in 2021 for selling psychedelic drugs. Wangaratta Club, 8pm.
Jul 18 | Check out this razor-sharp lineup of South Asian women comics diving headfirst into chaos, catharsis, and very funny auntie impressions as part of Brown Women Comedy HotHouse Theatre, 7.30pm.
Jul 23 | Emotionally unravel at Meg Washington’s Old Stone Hall encore show. 6.45pm (7.30pm sharp start). 18+ or accompanied.
Jul 24 | See Marrow by Australian Dance Theatre, a bold, contemporary work confronting national myths, created by Daniel Riley in collaboration with ADT’s Company Artists, senior Kaurna/Ngarrindjeri Elder Uncle Moogy Sumner AM, composer James Howard (SAVAGE), Matthew Adey (THE HUM) and Ailsa Patterson (Tracker). Albury Entertainment Centre, 7.30pm.
Jul 25 | Celebrate international cabaret sensation and Germany’s proudest and hottest export, Hans’ 21st birthday with a wild ride of laughter, music and innuendo. No relation to extreme supervillain and all-round bad guy Prince Hans. Albury Entertainment Centre, 7.30pm.
Jul 26 | Pirouette in from the cold to see Snow White with the Victorian State Ballet. Wangaratta Performing Arts Centre, 7.30pm.
Jul 27 | Re-crack your glow-sticks and teach your kids about the joy of raves at Lenny’s Toddler Techno Tour. Albury Entertainment Centre, 12.30 & 3.30pm.
—Weekend regs —
FRIDAYS
Harrietville Hotel | Head over to the ‘ville to listen to Asha Bright (Jul 4), Dean Haitani (Jul 11), Rhyley McGrath (Jul 18) and Minnie & the Moonrakers (Jul 25). 6pm.
The Man | CALLING ALL TALENT. Are you in a band? Do you like jamming? The Man at Falls Creek have a jam night every Friday and they’re looking for bands who like jamming. Give them a buzz on 0481 788 839. Become a weekend reg.
SATURDAYS
Harrietville Hotel | Saturdays are for tunes with Red Brick Radio (Jul 5), Benny Williams (Jul 12), DJ Zabi (Jul 19) and The Stents (Jul 26). 6pm.
Don Mungo’s | Mungo Disco every Saturday from 10pm with DJs from near and far. Check out Saucy (Jul 7), Meggie (Jul 14), Tim Shady (Jul 21) and Berryberry (Jul 28).
SUNDAYS
Bright Brewery | Join Sunday sessions with Damn'd Sam The Trio (Jul 6), Dean Haitani (Jul 13), The Stents (Jul 20), No F Chords (Jul 27). 2-5pm.
Wandi Pub | Ride out for lazy Sunday afternoons in the beer garden. Sometimes there is music.
Harrietville Hotel | has a special Sunday offering with Charlotte Glover Duo (Jul 13). 6pm.
—sneak peak—
It’s not strictly this month, but you probably need to book it soon, so we’ve included it:
Aug 9 | Catch a matinee with Didirri & Rowena Wise. First show already sold out. Listen to No Cure For Love. 1.30pm.
Aug 15 & 16 | Glide into Wangaratta for Swan Lake with the Victorian State Ballet. Tchaikovsky’s score, traditional choreography from Marius Petipa and a sea of white tutus await. Albury Entertainment Centre, 7.30 & 1pm (for the kids).
Aug 23 | Book your calendar and strap on your skis to train for the Kangaroo Hoppet, and join 1000 obscenely fit participants, 95% in lycra.
Oct 9 | If you like your violins fast and your symphonies lyrical, The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is playing Glinka, Saint-Saëns and Brahms at Wangaratta Performing Arts Centre. 7.30pm.
Oct 10 | Created especially for kids, these shows book out exceptionally fast. In this MSO Kids, share in the thrill and beauty of Glinka Ruslan and Ludmila: Overture and Brahms Symphony No.1. 10am & 11.30am.
👇 Did we miss any gigs? Message us below or at bright.raclette@gmail.com for upcoming gigs or venues we should contact for August/September/October.
DO
Jul 1 | Up-skill your backcountry game with the Alpine Education Series (SOLD OUT — but there is a waitlist) featuring talks on mindset, trip planning, and snow adventures everywhere from Chamonix to Alaska. Presented by Mountain Safety Council, Arc’teryx and Blizzard Academy.
Jul 3 | Fireworks! Snow! Falls Creek! Need we say more? The first of a weekly fireworks-in-the-snow extravaganza, every Thursday until the end of August. Family fun that could only be improved with a carrot, sticks, a few lumps of coal and an ability to build snowmen. We hear they make very loyal companions. 7pm.
Jul 4 | Bring a friend or go solo (it’s a small town, you’ll be sure to recognise someone) to the Women’s High Country Connect Social Drinks. Chop Chop, 6pm.
Jul 6-13 | NAIDOC week. There are several events around town, including music, traditional dance and activities with Lee Crouch in Myrtleford.
Jul 8 | Pull your big kid pants on and test your race skills at the Cranky Charlie Cup. Falls Creek.
Jul 8 | Come down to Porepunkah Hall and boogie your heart out in the dark and let looooooose at No Lights No Lycra. 6.30pm (note new time for winter).
Jul 10 | Seize the early morn at Women’s High Country Connect Coffee Morning to meet people who work from home or remotely. Coral Lea Cafe, 7am.
Jul 11 & 12 | Buckle in for granny bingo: foul-mouthed dames, lawless chaos and prizes secondary to the punchlines. The Vine Hotel, 7pm.
July 12 | If drawcards like gluhwein and glow-in-the-dark face painting sound like they might be up your alley, rug up and get ready to dance under stars punctuated by fireworks at Dinner Plain Snow Dance and Fireworks. Family friendly event (much like Elsa and Ana’s quest to find Ahtohallan). 7pm.
Jul 12 & 13 | Elevation is pulling out all the stops for their Winter Wellness event, and depending on what usually floats your boat you might be tempted by the wood-fired sauna and cold water plunge Haut Hutt are bringing along, the Saturday pilates sessions run by Wildflower Pilates, the 15km or 4.5km runs through Mystic Park, or the Sunday gravity uplifts at the bike park. Food trucks will be lurking around the bottom of the park ready to fuel your sporting or relaxation (if you’re just here for the sauna, we don’t judge).
Jul 13 | Celebrate the strength, vision and legacy of First Nations culture during NAIDOC week with The Next Generation, with a Welcome to Country, Smoking Ceremony, performances, face painting and storytelling. Myrtleford Piazza, 11am - 2pm.
Jul 15-16 | Coach the next generation of Great British Sewing Bee Contestants (if they ever venture to the Antipodes), with holiday sewing classes for kids. Wangaratta Tech School, 9.30am.
Jul 17 | Test your wits and flaunt your knowledge at Bright Brewery’s Hops and High IQs Trivia Night. Table bookings recommended. 6pm.
Jul 17 | Delve deep into what makes winter so special with stories from local film makers Divya Gordon and Taylor Bennie-Faull at the Arc'teryx Trail Summit Festival. Bright Brewery, 7.30pm.
Jul 18 | Capture beautiful memories of the most important angel in your life, with Puppy Tales Photography. Award-winning photographer Kerry Martin will be conducting photography sessions for dogs (and their humans), including snaps of chasing snowballs, mountain sunrises and building a snowman for your dog to tear down. Pet reindeers not welcome.
Jul 19 | Buy it at the Make it, Bake it, Grow it markets! 8.30-12.30pm.
Jul 22 | Tap your toes with reckless abandon — or in other words, Let it Go — at No Lights No Lycra. The beats will be banging, the tunes will be turned UP! They probably will not feature the Frozen soundtrack. Porepunkah Hall, 6.30pm.
Jul 25 | Don’t ramble Wombats, race it, at night, in the Wombat’s Rambler Night Race.
Jul 25-27 | Channel your inner snow princess at Bright’s new Winter in the Village Festival — string lights, fire pits, live music, Santa, and an ugly jumper comp. BYO marshmallow roasting stick. Barnard Street, Bright.
Jul 26 | Join the multi-skilled women of the Alpine Multi-Skill Group as they hike along Spots Track. Stick around afterwards for a well-earned coffee at Riverdeck. 9-11am.
Jul 30 | Grab a brew and support the community at the Brewery’s Community Keg, this month proceeds go to No Lights No Lycra. 5pm.
👇 In the know about an upcoming event? Message us below or at bright.raclette@gmail.com.
WATCH
Cinema | Choose from Bright’s Sun Cinema July releases:
Lilo & Stitch (chaotic alien fugitive lands in Hawaii), How to Train Your Dragon (boy meets dragon, boy hides dragon, boy accidentally becomes Viking legend), Materialists (romantic comedy with extremely good-looking people toting extremely good-looking handbags), Karate Kid: Legends (A kung fu prodigy, two legends, one epic showdown), F1 (Brad Pitt wears a helmet in this movie), Elio (kid is abducted by aliens and accidentally becomes Earth’s ambassador). If you do see a film, send us your review!
Star-watch | Cast your mind back to 1770. On the first of July of that year, earth saw its closest known comet (though the dinosaurs probably have something to say about that) at 2.2 million kilometres from impact, with Comet Lexell. There’s not a lot of interest going on in the sky this month, folks — though if ‘interesting’ means near-destruction, we can count our lucky stars for ‘boring’.
Weather-watch | You may have noticed that it’s snowing, which means there’s either a wild Elsa on the loose or the weather gods are finally smiling upon us, or both. Go forth and build that gosh darned snowman.
👇 Saw something you liked? Or didn’t? Submit your own review below or at bright.raclette@gmail.com.
READ
The bit you really came for: contributions from locals about life and times in the valley.
This month, ripe for a new adventure, local Myrtleford reviewer Marjorie Beavis-Warren packs up Mr B-W and heads to Wangaratta Performing Arts Centre for the final stop of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s 2025 Most Outstanding Show: ‘Garry Starr – Classic Penguins’.
Marj goes on a cultural adventure. With flippers. In Wangaratta.
— Marjorie Beavis-Warren
I knew from the moment I saw Garry’s show listed in May’s Raclette that I had to go… and write about it. I expected it to be funny, but what I didn’t expect was to leave feeling completely charmed, confused and strangely moved.
The premise? One man attempts to ‘save literature’ by performing every classic Penguin novel ever written in 60 minutes. Mostly naked. Wearing flippers. Because penguins don’t wear pants. Obviously.
The show is the answer to the question: “What do you get when you combine sharp intelligence, exquisite comic timing, and complete, unapologetic stupidity?” Well. You get 60 minutes of chaotic brilliance: interpretive naked dance, audience participation (with ‘enthusiastic consent’), and the kind of naked physicality that will permanently change the mental image you have when you hear reference to Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’.
By rights, the whole thing should be a mess. And, honestly, it is. It’s chaos combined with food fights. But it's also utterly joyous, clever, and unexpectedly wholesome. Garry Starr is surprisingly magnetic for a naked man in flippers and an Elizabethan neck ruffle; disarming and generous, he quickly builds trust with a room full of slightly nervous strangers. His ability to quickly connect with the audience and bring them into his world is the beating heart of the show. You’re not just watching; you’re part of it. Like, quite literally.
This is my eighth Raclette review, and I thought I’d be able to write this one easily, but it’s been the hardest to write. I thought I’d have ample slapstick dad joke material to drive my usual sarcastic schtick, but the show wildly exceeded my expectations, delivering far more than the expected fart jokes and flapping bits. I spent the whole time laughing whilst simultaneously thinking, ‘what the hell is happening, and why is it so good?!’
It’s a creative feat masterminded by a genuinely lovely human who is reaping the rewards of many years of hard work building something truly unique, and I feel honoured to have been a part of it.
It’s also a testament to WPAC for backing something so wild, weird, and wonderful. And to Garry, who’s off to Edinburgh and London next thanks to “a crazy investor” and an audience who clearly adore him.
If you didn’t catch this show, do two things: follow WPAC’s socials to see upcoming events, and see Garry Starr when he returns in 2026. You (probably) won’t regret it - and for the rest of your life you’ll never again picture Audrey Hepburn when you hear the song Moon River…
Next month: Marj reviews Raclette Raclette night — be there or be square (like a slice of raclette).
Chilly Winter Reads
Classic (and recent classic) reads to keep you warm while it snows outside, whether by cranking up the old internal thermostat or by treating your eyeballs to literary scenarios much, much chillier than your own.
The Snow Leopard by Peter Mathieson (1978). Recommended by resident book enthusiast Pierre Lapin. An account of Peter’s two-month search for a snow leopard in the Himalayas.
The Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (2023). Recommended by half the population of the world and guaranteed to keep you warm this winter. Categorically not recommended for younger readers.
The Cremation of Sam McGee by Robert W. Service (1907). Originally published in a work titled ‘Songs of a Sourdough’ — sounds like a great playlist, tbh. Recommended by friend-to-TBR Lucy’s stunning baby, Samphire, who falls asleep very quickly when listening to it and therefore gives it a 10/10.
White Fang by Jack London (1906). Wild wolfdog’s journey through Yukon wilderness, told from the point of view of the wolfdog himself.
Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing (1959). Think your pinky toes are chilly in those ski boots? Think again while reading this wild, icy, absolutely true story of Ernest Shackleton and his crew in their quest for the South Pole.
Miss Smilla’s Feeling for Snow by Peter Hoeg (1992). Nordic noir tracing the investigation into the suspicious death of a Greenlandic boy in Denmark.
Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson (1994). TBR didn’t finish it because the dog literally ate it (he has good taste). Set in 1954, the book allegedly revolves around a murder case in which a Japanese American is accused of killing a respected fisherman in a close-knit community living on a fictional island off the west-coast US state of Washington.
July Love Letter
— sacrifice yourself on the altar of dignity and send in a letter of your own.
Dear Bright Historical Society,
Thank you for filling a cold autumn night with wild stories of Bright’s past.
About 30 of us followed you through the streets to take the Bright Murders and Mysteries Tour. We learned how the Buckland Valley once thrummed with gold fever until dysentery wiped out thousands, and the townsfolk shifted to Morses Creek (now Bright). How hotels sprang up: The Lone Star (now The Star) for Americans, The Shamrock for Irish, The Caledonian for Scots, with the Chinese left to settle along the banks of the Ovens (where you can still see remains of their dwellings). And how dancing girls were brought by coach from Melbourne, paid by the dance.
We learned about the doctor’s manservant who turned out to be a runaway woman, locked away at Beechworth asylum after the doctor’s sudden death in 1884. About Jimmy the Finisher, the owner of a pub where the bodies of people who had died from suspicious or accidental circumstances were stored waiting for inquest, who made a tidy profit from making coffins on the side. And about Ellen, the publican's wife, whose ghost still sweeps the coachhouse halls.
It seems like it was a brutal place of fires, murders, stabbings and thefts, and culprits vanishing into the hills.
Still looking over my shoulder,
— An Admirer
👇 Do you write things? Draw things? Make jokes (that more than one person finds funny, though truly our bar is low and we will probably accept it either way)? Send them to us below or at bright.raclette@gmail.com
FYI
DID YOU KNOW that Australia’s frogs need your help? Yes, you! Aussie frogs are under threat from habitat loss, disease, and climate change. Record frog calls with the free FrogID app and help gather essential information to better understand and conserve Australia’s frogs.
Have your say in the future of our alpine region, with the Alpine Resorts Strategic Plan. Alpine Resorts Victoria will be developing a new strategic plan for 2026–2030, and is encouraging everyone (again: yes, you!) to have a say in the plan’s development through online engagement and in-person workshops.
Calling all filmmakers — do you have a passion for landcare? If not, do you even realise what an ick that is? Landcare Australia are launching their inaugural Landcare Short Film Festival, with entries closing 1st August. Get involved!
Seen a rat or two scurrying around recently? Have a friend who’s a bit of a rat? Learn their history here.
👇 Do you know something we don’t? Drop us a line below or at bright.raclette@gmail.com